When I hear "make room for God," I imagine being at a party or the club in a room full of people. There's always a friend that comes to meet you at the party in the crowd and you have to make space for them to stand next to you. In this instance, you push/scoot a couple of people over to make room for them, and then motion for your friend to stand next to you.
This comes to mind because no matter where you are: at a party, at work, at home, or in the darkness, God always wants to meet you there. He wants you to always make room for Him where ever you go, even if it's in the spaces where you may not think He's present (i.e. the club or a party).
Most of the time we don't feel qualified enough for God to be in our presence, especially when we’re in those rooms where you have no business being. Don't get me started on who or what may be in those rooms that you don't want to bring God in. The beautiful thing about God is that He is omnipresent; He's everywhere whether we like it or not. He's also all-knowing and knows where we are or where we're going, especially when we have no business being there.
Whether your room is filled with baggage, people that you have unnecessary relationships with, or distractions, God wants to be in it; right there with you. All God is asking for is your permission to hold your hand through it all. We may say, "but God is everywhere." Yes, He is around us, but is He in your heart? Is He in your mind? Are you connecting with Him? God wants you to make room for Him even when you don't feel worthy of His love. He wants you to experience His grace and recognize the light within you.
If you’re struggling with making room for God in your heart, mind, spirit, and in those uncomfortable spaces, I want to share with you 3 steps to allow God to come in.
Step 1: Allow God's light to shine through you.
God is the light within you, me, and any other person you may know. The key to accessing that light is to acknowledge the power of the light and igniting that fire. God wants you to bring that light with you where ever you go, especially in the darkness. Understand that God is within you, no matter how dark your thoughts or reality gets, the light is always there.
Those glimpses of positive thoughts and hope you have, that's God's light. The love that you have for yourself and others, that's more of God's light. Those gifts and dreams that God has placed in your heart, that is also His light.
Matthew 5:15-16 NIV
15: Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16: In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Now that you know what the light of God looks like, you have to ignite it. Embrace those positive thoughts and that love inside of you, and share it with others. Don't hide your light by holding on to it. As referenced in Matthew 5:15-16, God doesn't want us to keep our light under a bowl, He wants us to let it shine through our house for other people to see. He wants us to spread that love, positivity, gifts, and any other light in your heart with others. God blesses us so that we can bless others who may not see the light inside of themselves.
Step 2: Allow God to Use Your Light How He sees fit.
Now that you have acknowledged your light, embraced it, and are ready to share it with others. You have to allow God to lead the way and use your light in a way that He sees fit. As a writer, sometimes I become doubtful that things I want to say or share may not be received. Most of the time, that doubt paralyzes me and doesn't allow God to use my gift (the light) in the way He sees fit. For me, it would be easier to hold on to that light and rest in my doubts and fears, but I know God wants to use my light for a bigger purpose.
Allowing God to use your light, lets Him use it for His glory. If God wants you to use your light of love to comfort others or your light of speaking to talk or share knowledge with others, that would be how He sees fit. Sounds easy, right?
Not all of the time because one thing that can stop us is fear, doubt, and any other negative things that can help talk us out of sharing our light. The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. If he can get inside of your mind, it will be so easy for him to steal your light. So, you just have to do it anyway, no matter how uncomfortable you feel, or how much doubt you may have about sharing your light with others.
Step 3: Be Obedient to God's Direction.
So we talked about accepting your light and allowing God to use it, but the main key you need is obedience. In order to use your light in the way God sees fit, you have to be obedient to His direction. That means, not doing what you want, but what God wants. Remember when I mentioned doubt paralyzing me and it being easier to keep that light to myself. I had to learn how to push past that feeling of doubt and fear and do what God was asking of me. I didn’t allow the enemy to steal my light because I stepped into obedience, making room for God.
A lot of the blessings and answers to your prayers are attached to sharing your light. If you never used your light of love to comfort someone, you may have never met your best friend. If you never used your light to speak to educate others, you may not have gotten that new business opportunity. The way I see it is, yes, we do have our doubts and fears, but God's plan is far better than us sitting in our rooms holding onto the light that God placed inside of us.
If I had continued to allow my thoughts of my words not being received to keep me paralyzed, I wouldn't be here writing for you today. I wouldn't have been able to share my light to help someone else go through the struggle of igniting their own. Hence, helping others make room for God. Make sense?
I really want to encourage you to find God's light inside of you. Your light doesn't have to have a huge flame either. It's as simple as loving others. Start with what you have and watch God expand your light. As you continue to allow Him to use you and be obedient, He will assign more light upon you to share with others.
What light can you ignite today? Share below. I'd love to hear from you!